Valve mechanism



K Dec- 22, 1942. E. A. RocKwELl. 2,306,346

VALVE MECHANISM Original Filed May 18,- 1934 n u Il INVENTOR (ggg/Al @mATTORNEY Patented Dee. 22, 1 942 i vALvE MEcnANIsM Edward A. Rockwell,Forest Hills, N. Y., assignor to General Auto Parts Corporation, acorpora.-

tion of Delaware Original application 726,426,l now Patent 27, 1939.

May 18, 1934, Serial No.

No. 2,163,764, dated June Divided and this application November 19,1938, Serial No. 241,313

s claims.

My invention relates particularly to an apparatus involving a valvemechanism designed for a'rnplifying power but which has applicationespecially for the operation of automotive accessories, as, forvinstance, automobile brakes.

This application is a division of my 4copending application Serial No.726,426, led May 18, 1934, upon Fluid pressure amplifying devices, nowPatent No. 2,163,764.

It has for an object provision by which the work performed in causingthe actuation of the device is amplified by the actuation thereof. An-

other object is the provision of the above char-v acter. adapted to thecontrol and actuation of automotive apparatus. A further purpose is theprovision of valving control of `apparatus remote from the valving meansand pressure'source.

I have shown a. foot byla link 3 to a lever 4 the automobile.

pivoted together at 9 connect the lever 4 with a. second lever I9 whichswings on a stationary -pin II carried by the automobile frame 6. A slotI2 in the leverl0 engages a pin I3 xed in a rod mounted on a licor-board2 of an autoe carried' on a shaft 5 secured to the frame 6 of i Pulllinks 1 and 8 angularly I I4 disposed between a piston l5 of a masterbrake cylinder I6 and a piston I1 of a booster cylinderv I8. Acompression spring I9 urges the piston I5 outwardly.` A push-rod!!!l islocated between the pivot 9 and a piston 2l in a reaction cylinder 22.There is also provided a compensatring liquid supply reservoir 22ahaving an port 22c leading to the 4cylinder l5 and a pipe 22h leading tothe cylinder 22. Control and high pressure tubes 23 and 24,respectively, connect the reaction cylinder 22 and the booster cylinderi8 with a control valve 25. master cylinder l5 to the brakes of theautomobile.

The valve 25 is constructed in the following manner. A sleeve 21 istightly held within a casing 28 and is provided with slots 29 and 30 incommunication with high and low pressure A uid line 26 leads from thersupply line 24. A piston chambers 3| and 32, respectively. The sleeve21 is provided with an upper internal shoulder 33, and a hollow piston34, slidable within the sleeve 21, is provided with lateral ports and 36adapted to register with the slots 29 and 30 respectively. The piston34, furthermore, is formed with a bottom flange 31 and is urged upwardlyby a spring 38 backed by a bushing 39 threaded into the casing 28. Thebushing 39 receives a iitting l4l] for connecting thereto the pressurespring 40a at the top of the 34 controls its upward'movement. 'I'he lowpressure chamber 32 leads by a passageway 4I to gear pump gears 42 and43 in a gear pump 44. The gears 42 and 43 may be driven from anysuitable source of power in any desired way but, for example, may bedriven by an electric motor 45 on the shaft of the gear 43 and which maybe started and stopped inany desired way, designed to maintain a uniformpressure in the high pressure chamber 3l, which is connected to the de`livery side of the gear pump/,44

`through a ball check valve 46 and passageways 41 and 48.

' The alternative form of valve shown in-Fiug. 3 employs an actuatingpiston 49 of relatively large diameter, slidable in a cylinder 50 andhaving a stop ange 5|to define its upper position. The usual sealingwasher 52 and follower spring 53 are disposed. Y threaded hole 54 isAprovided in the cylinder 50 for a tube connection to a source ofmodulating pressure such as the reaction cylinder 22 by the pipe 23. Thecylinder 50 is screwed into a'body 55 and clamps therein a plug 5 6having vertical *holes 51 and 58, in which are slidable a high pressurevalve plunger 59 and alow pressure valve plunger 60, respectively. Theplunger 59 has a conical head 6I normally seated against the lower endof the hole 51 by a strong compression spring 62 and isnecked above thehead 6l to leave an annular space 63 in the hole 51. A high pressureinlet 64 opens into the annular space 63. The

low pressure plunger has a lower reduced portion 65 terminating in acone 66 adapted to en-.

,rage a seat 61 of-relatively small diameter in the bottom of the hole58. A relatively light spring 68 under a head 69 onlthe plunger 60normally holds the latter up so"that the cone 66 is spaced from theIseat 61. vThe numeral 10 indi- 4cates a threaded lower pressure passage,opening out of the hole 58 near the bottom thereof. The plug 56 and body55 dei-lne a modulated pressure chamber 1I .having an outlet 12. Theplungers 59 and 60 have conical upper ends 13 and 14 engaging a disk 15which centrally en above the piston 49 and an upperv gages a conicalnose 16 onv the bottom of the Piston 49.

The operation in Figs. 1 -and 2 is as follows: Assuming the hydraulicsystem to be initially lled with liquid andthe electric motor 45 to havebeen operated until its circuit is broken, due to obtaining the desiredpressure within the high pressure Icylinder 3l by drawing the hydraulicfluid from the low pressure chamber 32, lif it is desired to apply thebrakes the foot pedal I is moved downwardly, thereby moving the pistonI5 and forcing the hydraulic fluid manually through the pipe system 26to the automobile brakes. At the same time movement of the pull links'land 8 will cause the downward movement of the push-rod 20 so as to forcethe modulated hydrauliciluid, according to the. amount of preslGlidownwardly is decreased and the pressure in follows substantially -theoperation of the type sure applied by the foot, through the control pipe23 and thence to the top of the piston 34,

forcing the same downwardly so as to close the4 low pressure port 3 6and open the high pressure port 35, so that as a result the highpressure iluid passes through the line 24 into the booster cylinder I1to thus boost the pressure in the pipe line 25. This boosting eiIect, ofcourse, cooperates with the manual pressure from the pedalv I, but doesnot of itself appreciably change the position of the valve means, as,owing to the angularity of the links 1 and 8 the downward movement ofthe piston 2| can be brought about only by a pull on the link 1 due topressingrdownwardly on thepedal I. As pressure builds up in the pipe 24it reacts by moving the pedal I slightly upwardly on the valve 34,moving the same upwardly and holding the pressure corrstant in said pipe24, unless the manually applied pressure on the piston valve 34 ischanged. Upon release of the foot pressure, the piston valve 34 rises toclose the high pressure port 35 and open the low4 pressure port 35, thusreleaslng the high pressure liquid from the booster Il through the pipe24 and releasing the manual pressure on the fluid inthe pipe 23 and thecylinder 22, which then communicates with the tank` 22a by the pipe 22h.

The modification of the invention shown in Fig. 3 operates in a similarmanner. Accord'- ingly, when pressure is applied above the piston v49through the hole 54 th'e conical no se 16 presses down on the -disk 15.The spring 62 being stronger than the spring 68 the latter yields andthe disk I5 rocks downwardly on the conical upper end 13 of the plunger59 as a fulcrum, forcing plunger 50 downwardly until the cone 66 closesagainst the seat 61, and thereby shuts off the low pressurecommunication from the chamber 1I to the passage 10. As additionalpressure is applied to the piston 49,"the disk' 'I5' rocksdownwardly onthe conical upper end 14 of the plunger 50 as a fulcrum, overcoming thespring 62 and forcing the conical head 5I away from its seat, therebyadmitting high pressure fluid' from the inlet 54 to the chamber II andthence through the outlet 'I2 to the device to be actuated. As pressurebuilds up in the chamber 1 I -it reacts by moving .the pedal I slightlyupwardly, o n the ying from the spirit of Avalve, operable by hydraulicthe chamber 1I against the lower end of the plunger 50 raises thelatter, allowing pressure -to exhaust from the chamber 1I through thepassage 10. From the above description it will be noted that in itsfunctioning the alternative valve previously described and gives thesame modulation effect.

While I have described my invention above in detail I wish it to beunderstood .that many changes may be made therein without departthesame.

I claim:

1. A hydraulic valve structure comprising a chamber, fluid pressureinlet and outlet valve means closing in said chamber, a spring normallyclosing the inlet valve, the inlet valve being closed in a positionneutral to the inlet of pressure iiuid, and common means, including asealed piston provided with a spring having a xed support, reactive tothe pressures admitted beyond the inlet pressure to alternately actuatethe same.

2.' A hydraulic valve structure comprising a chamber, fluid pressureinlet and outlet valve means closing in said chamber, a spring normallyclosing the inlet valve, the inlet valve being closed in a positionneutral to the inlet of pressure fluid, and common means, including asealed piston provided -wlth a spring'having a x'ed support, reactive tothe pressures admitted beyond the inlet valve, to alternately open andclose each of said valves.

3. `In a hydraulic control valve structure in combination, a body havinga cylindrical bore, a port in said' bore adapted to connect said borewith a sorce of hydraulic pressure, a vent in said'l bore, a passageadapted to connect said bore with a pressure responsive device, a sleevevalve slidto the inlet of pressure liquid and having openings bottom ofthe head 6I moving the latter unV I against its seat 'in opposition tothe piston 43 and holding the pressure constant in the chamber 'IIunless the applied pressure on the piston 49 is changed. If additionalpressure is applied to the piston 49 a corresponding increase ofpressure is caused in the chamber 1I. If the I pressure from the pedal Iagainst the piston 49 is further lowered the force urging the plungeradapted alternately to connect said ports with said passage, means,including a sealed piston provided with a spring having a fixed support,to move said sleeve in opposition to the pressure in said passage, andresilient means to normally position said sleeve to open said vent port.

4. In a hydraulic control valve structure in combination, a body havinga cylindrical bore, a port in said bore adaptedto connect said bore witha source of hydraulic4 pressure, ,a vent port in said bore, 'a passageadapted to connect said bore with a pressure responsive device, a sleevevalve slidable in said bore and seated in a position Vneutral. to-theinlet of pressure liquid and f having openings adapted alternately toconnect said" ports with said-passage, hydraulic means,- including asealed piston provided with a spring having a fixed support, to move said sleeve in opposition to the pressure in said passage, and resilientmeans to normally position said sleeve to open said vent port.

5. In a hydraulic control valve structure vin combination, a body havinga cylindrical bore, a port in said bore adapted to connect said bore-with a source of hydraulic pressure, a vent port in said bore, a.passage adapted to connect said bore with a pressure responsive device,a sleeve valve slidable in said bore and seated in a position neutral tothe inlet of pressure liquid and having openings adapted alternately toconnect' said ports with said passage, hydraulic means including, aseale'd piston slidable in sealing relation in said bodyy provided witha spring having a fixed' support, and engaging said sleeve to movesaidsleeve in opposition to the pressure in said passage, and resilientmeans to normally position said sleeve to open said l'vent port.

6. In a hydraulic control valve structure in combination, a body havinga cylindrical bore, a port in said bore adapted to connect said borewith a source of hydraulic pressure, a vent port in said bore, a passageadapted to connect said bore with a pressure responsive device, a sleevevalve slidable in said bore and seated in a position neutral to theinlet of pressure liquid and having openings adapted alternately toconnectl said ports with said passage, hydraulic means including asealed piston slidable in said body and resilient means connecting saidpiston and said sleeve to said body, to move said sleeve in oppositionto the pressure in said passage, and resilient means to normallyposition said sleeve to open said vent port. A

EDWARD A.- ROCKWELL.

